After losing core pieces on defense and offense, KC had one of the best offseasons in the franchise’s history. But is that enough to set up the Chiefs’ long-term?
After having a successful draft and filling in some key areas in the free agency, many fans and analytics are wondering will the Chiefs be set for the future. Even though we do not know how these new players and draft picks will pan out, the front office and the coaching staff are going into the season understanding it will take time for the guys to gel. The idea of bringing in younger players and some veterans on both sides put the Chiefs in a position where they have a team that is set up for current and future success.
The key losses that the Chiefs suffered this off-season were veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu and of course All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs were able to fill in the gaps left by the players by signing former Texans safety Justin Reid and also signing receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdez-Scantling. All of these guys are young and hungry, expect them to be competitive and bring a new dimension to the team.
Veach’s plan this off-season was to get younger and fill the position needs of those who can make an impact early, but fall in the lines of still being young. This commitment is valuable to the organization because they want guys who will be here for many years to build that chemistry and make sure their star QB has players that will be here for most of his tenure.
Guys like Justyn Ross and Skyy Moore are valuable to the offense due to their explosive ability and their willingness to become better and be reliable to Mahomes. Karlaftis and Chenal will bring that physicality we have been dying for to be added to that front seven along with Jones, Bolton, and Gay. Mcduffie and Williams will grow as the season come and Justin Reid will be their leader to help them learn from their mistakes and eventually be All-Pros in their respected positions.
The Chiefs spent the money and the draft picks to set themselves up for long-term success by letting certain players walk this off-season and bringing in younger cheaper players. Instead of having a 2-3 year span to make something work, they extended it to 4-6 seasons with the rookie deals they have and put them in a position to be flexible with contracts going forward. If you are a fan of the Chiefs, this is a perfect situation for the organization and they will still be competitive year in and year out with the youth they added to the roster.
